Select a patient they have cared for on a medical or surgical ward/unit/other area. Identify how the patient was admitted to hospital, their presenting complaint and the care pathway they followed. Discuss the overarching nursing assessment used to identify the patients’ problems on admission.

Patient Pathways of Care in Adult Nursing 1: Level 5

Type of Assessment:

Patient centred case study (3000 words). The focus will be on one patient the student has cared for on a medical or surgical nursing ward/unit/ in the community in theatres/recovery or in a prison.
Practice Assessment Document (to be handed to the Faculty Office with a Header sheet) date to be advised.

The 4 Learning Outcomes that are assessed by the patient centred case study include:

Demonstrate explicit knowledge of the principles of surgical and medical care in adult nursing both within the hospital and the community
Apply the principles of surgical and medical nursing to assess and develop care plans in partnership with multi agency team for various medical and surgical conditions within the hospital and the community setting
Demonstrate explicit knowledge and understanding of national policies and local strategies and how these impact on the individual patient.
Implement national and local guidance and strategies to support practice within the students’ sphere of practice.

Description of task:

A 3000 word, patient centred case study focusing on a patient you have cared for in a medical or surgical ward/unit.

You must:

Select a patient they have cared for on a medical or surgical ward/unit/other area.

Identify how the patient was admitted to hospital, their presenting complaint and the care pathway they followed.

Discuss the overarching nursing assessment used to identify the patients’ problems on admission.

Critically analyse one element of care given to the patient during their admission.

Ensure the discussion refers to relevant local and national policies and strategies and multi professionals involved in the patients care.

Analyse any potential discharge plans that may be required to ensure the patient remains safe when they return home.

Remember:

These are guidance notes and should be used in conjunction with the assessment specification found in your handbook and assessment lecture slides.

For this assignment you will need to ensure you clearly cover all 4 learning outcomes.

Do not breach confidentiality of your Trust or the patient.

Make sure your arguments are underpinned by relevant and contemporary evidence. You will need to read widely around your patients underlying condition demonstrating best practice and an understanding of the care delivered.

No drafts will be read by the course leader, so please follow the guidance carefully.

Do not copy the text in this guidance, all work will be assessed for plagiarism.

SUGGESTED LAYOUT FOR YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Introduction: Be clear and concise, briefly state what you are going to cover in your essay and the tools that were used. Make sure you refer to all of the learning outcomes. Also make sure you state that the patients name and personal details have been changed in line with NMC confidentiality guidelines.

FOR EXAMPLE: (This is a brief example yours should be about 150-200 words long and can include references, remember to mention here in the introduction that you have anonymised the patients details in line with policy).

‘In this case study a patient who was admitted to a surgical assessment unit with abdominal pain will be discussed. The patients real name and personal details has been changed in line with the NMC (2015) regulations relating to maintenance of confidentiality. The nursing assessment tool used on admission will be identified and one element of care from this assessment will be critically discussed. Reference will be made to the local and national policies and strategies which informed the care delivered during the patients stay in hospital. Also the other members of the multidisciplinary team that the patient was referred to will be identified. Finally, consideration will be given to any discharge plans made in relation to maintaining the safety of the patient when he returns home.”

Case Study: Introduce your chosen patient, explain how and why they presented to the hospital. (Remember your chosen patient has to have a medical or surgical condition and a reason for admission to hospital/unit/prison).

Specify the following information (you should be able to derive this information from the patients medical and nursing admission notes):

1) What was their admission care pathway? Were they referred by their GP, via A+E, via outpatients or another route? Did they come by ambulance or public transport?
2) What was there presenting complaint and associated symptoms? Why do they need admission, what is the definitive diagnosis and medical plan of care?
3) Who was involved in their admission process? Who were they admitted under? E.g. cardiologist. What type of ward were they admitted to, was this the correct clinical area? Were they transferred from one ward to another before arriving with you? Why was this?

Last Completed Projects